Sep 4, 2013

TEACHER'S DAY

TEACHER’S DAY

A
teacher remembers his teachers…

Khaliqur
Rahman

Let's go then,
you and I … with apologies to T S Eliot … where Education is spread like a
patient etherized upon a table. Fashionable physicians, surgeons and, of
course, some quacks rush in where Specialists fear to tread. Anyway, all those
who've rushed in to ‘doctor’ education, register prescriptions which soon turn
into valuable material for precious documentation in the form of a tome fatter
than Gray's Anatomy.

Treatment for
the ‘sick’ is recommended ad hoc, as the patient is feared to slip into coma at
the sight of the growing crowd. Everyone seems to be waking up suddenly from a
long deep sleep. But that we do every year. Kumbhakaran sleeps for six months.
We've comfortably doubled it!

A few days
before the Teacher's Day, the Birthday of former President Dr Radhakrishnan, we
earnestly value Education, at least on paper. Our alert Press is always there to
uphold national interest.

Therefore, a
local Daily diligently prepared a Questionnaire of FIVE fanta+stick, sorry,
fantastic, questions, the answers of which, they thought, would solve all the
problems related to EDUCATION, at least for a year, so that the nation could go
to sleep again until next September.

The Newspaper
has received and published the answers to these wonderful questions from all
the Very Correct VCs of all the State Universities. The VCs, unlike most
students, have answered all the questions, in nearly two full pages of the
Newspaper, which everyone feels will prove valuable to last the year in solving
all Educational problems.

I am now in
the 50s and very proud to be a St Paulian! I love my teachers in St Paul’s. Mr
Dandekar, the Principal, then, Mr Narsaiya takes over. Mr D L Jha, the Maths
teacher, Mr Rajimwale and Mr Mishra, the English teachers, Mr Williams, the
Drawing teacher are some unforgettable names. The two great pillars of the
teaching staff, fondly known as NNB & KCB, are the wonderful all-rounders. They
can teach any subject. No St Paulian can ever forget the other all-rounders
like Mr C L Shrivastava, Mr D N Thakur, Mr W T Paul and Mr W M Paul. Then
who’ll forget Mr S P Shrivastava and his ambi-dexterous versatility on the
blackboard?

I can go on
but I come to 1979. My uncle, Mr Fazlur Rahman Khan, a senior Secretary in
Pakistan Civil Service, comes to India and remembers his old St Paul’s
teachers. He recalls Mssrs D L Jha, NNB and KCB and asks me if they’re around.
We go to meet Mr KCB who now lives close by. We walk down and are led into the
room where the old man now is mostly in bed. He recognizes us and asks us what
we’re doing. I say I am a Lecturer in English. My uncle says he’s a Senior
Secretary, Customs and Excise in Pakistan. His face lights up. Then I say I am
an MA in English because he taught me English and my uncle is an MA in
Geography because he taught him Geography. Happy heart instantly pours out
proud tears. Our respect and his love fill to the full the cup of compassion. The
teacher weeps, the students are moved for life.

I have always
been very lucky to find myself in the galaxy of excellent teachers. During MA,
very brilliant teachers are coincidentally there on the staff. Prof P N
Shrivastava teaches Chaucer and he knew how to pronounce Chaucerian English
because Scottish teachers had taught him.

At CIEFL,
short for Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages, I have Dr R K
Bansal as my Supervisor during MLitt in Linguistics & Phonetics. Dr Bansal
was Gimson’s student who was the student of Daniel Jones, both widely known for
compiling the English Pronouncing Dictionary. At CIEFL, my friends, no wonder,
find me boasting of being the academic grandson of Daniel Jones!

Dr Bansal asks
me one day who I think is my best teacher of English. Cricket, I reply, despite
all excellent teachers around, including Dr Bansal. He, then, asks me to pick
the best from all subject teachers. I pick Mr D L Jha!

It always
takes the ‘good’ with the ‘bad’ to make this world go round. In earlier times,
the ‘good’ out-numbered the ‘bad’ in teaching. In such a situation, the quality
of life goes up. The present world scenario shows that the overall quality of
life has deteriorated. That means education has failed to produce sustainable
out-put. Voices of concern keep coming.

As has been
rightly suggested, the 'bad' trickles down from the top. But the 'good' is
always raised from the bottom and pushed to the top. A good teacher does that.
Let's hope this happens. Pray, long live THE GOOD TEACHER and may his tribe
increase!